Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has vowed to release the list of Black women being considered for potential Supreme Court nominations ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
At an event in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday, Biden confirmed that he would be releasing the shortlist.
“We are putting together a list of a group of African American women who are qualified and have the experience to be on the court,” Biden said after delivering critical remarks about President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked about a specific timeline for the release of the names, Biden said, “I am not going to release that until we go further down the line in vetting them, as well.”
See Biden’s remarks below:
Biden also confirmed that the vetting process is underway for his diverse list of potential vice president picks.
“We’re just underway now in the hard vet of going into the deep background checks that take anywhere from six to eight weeks to be done,” Biden confirmed. “The committees have been formed, and that’s underway.”
Over the last three months, there have been whispers of names of influential women who are rumored to be on Biden’s vice president list.
The list reportedly includes Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms (D), Rep. Val Demmings (D-Fla.), former Georgia governor nominee Stacey Abrams (D), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, as previously reported on IJR.
Although the former vice president didn’t offer a specific timeline on his list of potential Supreme Court nominees, he did confirm a timeline for when he will announce his running mate.
“Early August. I can’t guarantee you Aug. 1, but it will be in early August, several weeks before the convention,” Biden said.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for the week of August 17 in Milwaukee.